ANCIENT trees have been saved from the chop after a worried villager stepped in.

Denby Dale resident John Jordan became concerned about the future of a pair of 400-year-old Chestnut trees on Norman Road after he saw signs warning of a road closure.

He decided to investigate and rang Kirklees Highways.

Having discovered they were due to be felled first thing this morning, Mr Jordan then rang Kirklees Council’s tree services and discovered the two trees were subject to a tree preservation order (TPO).

After almost a week of uncertainty the trees were saved from the axe with just five minutes of the working week left.

Mr Jordan said he thought the electricity board had been due to remove the trees, but a spokeswoman for CE Electric told the Examiner they were not due to do any work in the area.

But Mr Jordan said despite the mystery he was glad his inquiries had helped to save a piece of the village’s history.

He said: “Thankfully I managed to find somebody at tree services who gave a damn. She managed to find the right people to stop them.

“They rang me at five to five on Friday to say they’d postponed it.

“I’m relieved that things are going to be done properly.

“They’re the only mature trees left in the village. You can see them on pictures from 200-years-ago. Thankfully, one council person went above the call of duty and did a fantastic job”.

Kirklees Council failed to respond to a request for information on the issue.